Vamonos, a Book Review

For the last few years I have been writing novels set in Mexico, partly because south-of-the-border truth is often stranger, more dangerous, and exciting than fiction. I am constantly on the lookout for similar books, but unfortunately, partly because it’s pretty far off the Manhattan literati’s radar, Mexico has been largely overlooked by both authors and publishers. I was therefore elated when I read Vámanos, by my friend Bill Stephens. It is so good, so plausible in terms of today’s Mexico, and so entertaining that I want as many people as possible to be aware of it as possible.

From a literary standpoint, Vámonos is a book about good, evil, redemption, and the human condition, and it handles those elements with grace, intelligence, and wit. Remarkably, it also does something that literary novels rarely do: while accurately capturing the zeitgeist of today’s Mexico, it delivers the kind of edge-of-the-seat entertainment usually found only in plot-driven thrillers. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to ride a Harley, or maybe to ride one in Mexico? Vámonos brings you those experiences, virtually in 3D, with as much excitement as anybody needs, and does so with close to zero predictability. And there is enough humor to keep you smiling through even the most suspenseful scenes. The ending is especially satisfying: not only do the main characters achieve redemption but so do readers, most of whom will not be able to finish the book without a surge of optimism and renewed enthusiasm for their own slog through this veil of tears!